DULUTH - On Tuesday, Gwinnett Medical Center opened its second Center for Sleep Disorders after serving patients for more than a decade at its Lawrenceville facility.

The new facility, located on the hospital's Glancy Campus, is nationally recognized and accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

"Accredited sleep labs meet a standard of excellence that we strive for at GMC," said Dr. Gregory L. Mauldin, medical director of the GMC Center for Sleep Disorders. "It means we are recognized as being able to provide our patients with the highest level of quality in sleep diagnoses and treatment."

There are non-accredited sleep labs in the area, but a GMC news release said those facilities lack regulated quality standards and may not employ technologists specifically trained in sleep disorders. They generally test only for a few specific problems while the GMC lab tests for many different sleep-related disorders, the report said.

"The new sleep center will have the same board-certified sleep specialists interpreting the studies as at our Lawrenceville site," said Danita Turner, manager of respiratory care, sleep and neurology. "Our physicians have extensive training in sleep medicine ... our staff of (sleep) technologists is credentialed in both sleep and respiratory therapy. Our technologists will monitor the study, teach the patient about good sleep habits and health as well as provide education."

For more information, call 678-312-3695 or visit www.gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/sleep.